Since this was my very first piece of string art, I already went into it with the mindset that I was never going to enjoy looking at it or think it was a great piece. Even after carefully preparing the grid and painstakingly nailing in each and every one of these nails to make sure they were straight and all at the same height.

I was right; it didn't resonate with me. I painted it flat black and as a result saw every imperfection in the wood. So it still didn't seem right.

Doing a sort of Jackson Pollock neon background to it, the piece just never really made an impression. It was very much what it was, my first take on this sort of thing. It would end in failure no matter the amount of love, care, and thought that went into it. It was going to be this thing that very much loomed over me. This thing, that stared at me with this forever-annoying presence.

But you know the saying "Time Heals all wounds" and so it grew on me. It went from being this thing, to a learning experience. After a while I was able to view it from a different standpoint. It went from being annoying to beautiful in its own way because it was MY FIRST piece of string art. It went from looking like this blob of wood, nails, paint, and string to something that started to take its own shape. I started to see a bird, more specifically a bird’s face that was looking back at me. The two geometric circles started to form his eyes and the center started to take somewhat the shape of a beak, almost as if the bird was flying directly at me.

So this is what this piece has very much become to me. I learned from it. It has definitely made an impact, personally and mentally, on me. I still very much dislike it though, but in a different way than before.

Dimensions: 33" x 9"

About the artist:-XXIII- is a young artist from North Carolina who is still exploring different art forms to find a medium that resonates best with him.